A Tale of Two Mommies

A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he

Overview

A Tale of Two Mommies is a beach conversation among three children. One boy asks another boy about having two mommies. A young girl listening in asks some questions too. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow. “Which mom is there when you want to go fishing? / Which mom helps out when Kitty goes missing?” To which he answers: “Mommy helps when I want to go fishing. / Both Mommies help when Kitty goes missing.” A Tale of Two Mommies is intended for 4-8 year olds. This book lets us look inside one non-traditional family, a same sex couple and their son. As the children talk, it’s clear this boy lives in a nurturing environment where the biggest issues are the everyday challenges of growing up.

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Meet the Author

Vanita Oelschlager is a wife, mother, grandmother, philanthropist, former teacher, current caregiver, author and poet. A graduate of Mount Union College in Alliance, Ohio, she now serves as a Trustee of her alma mater and as Writer in Residence for the Literacy Program at The University of Akron. Vanita and her husband Jim were honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 2006. She was the Congressional Angels in Adoption award recipient for the State of Ohio in 2007 and was named National Volunteer of the Year by the MS Society in 2008. Vanita was also honored in 2009 as the Woman Philanthropist of the Year by the Summit County Chapter of the United Way.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

A cute book about a kid with two mommies. We don’t always think about the consequences for kids, and how tough it can be for them to explain to other kids that they have two mommies, or even two daddies, and this book explains in a fun, cute way. The illustrations look lovely too. I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

GratefulGrandma

More than 1 year ago

I wish I had a copy of this book several years ago when I had a student in my class with two mommies. This book is the story of a little boy who has two mommies. His friends ask him a series of questions about which mommy does what. The responses are similar to that of a child with any two parents. One often does one thing, one does another and they both do some. Whether the two parents are mother/father, momma/mommy, or poppa/daddy it is clear they are a loving set of parents. It is wonderful to see children so accepting of whatever family dynamic their friend has. It is unfortunate that the attitude of acceptance we are all born with, changes as we get older and have different experiences. A great story to teach acceptance of all families to children. The rhyming and the illustrations will endear themselves to anyone reading this book.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

Splashesintobooks1

More than 1 year ago

Another great helpful rhyming book - go take a look!
Three children are playing on the beach
In this book that will hep others to teach
What life is like for one lad
Who has two mommies at home instead of a dad.
The other two children ask him questions galore
About his life with two Mom&rsquo;s and more.
Who does what to help this boy each day
Then listen carefully to what he has to say
He calls one his Momma and the other his Mommy so
It is easy for him to decide to which one to go!
Some tasks one does, and others both do
and others he does on his own, it&rsquo;s true.
The book is illustrated with fun images too
Increasing its appeal to me and to you
They are bright, colourful, appealing and fun
Altogether, they're beautifully done!
The book is a great way for others to see
Inside this non-traditional family love is the key,
The issues of life are just the same they recall
Growing up is the challenge for one and for all!
Thanks to the author, publishers and NetGalley, too,
for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

CatsInSpace

More than 1 year ago

Okay books on a good topic
The idea of a child having two mommies or daddies instead of one of each could be confusing for the child&rsquo;s friends, as author Vanita Oelschlager explores in her two picture books, &ldquo;A Tale of Two Mommies&rdquo; and &ldquo;A Tale of Two Daddies.&rdquo; Each book portrays a young child being questioned by his or her playmates about which mom or dad helps with various tasks, such as baking a cake, looking for a lost kitty, or coaching T-ball. The child answers each question with one of two names for his or her parents (Momma and Mommy or Poppa and Daddy), or sometimes the answer is &ldquo;neither&rdquo; or &ldquo;both.&rdquo; Whatever the answer, the child proves he or she is taken care of no matter what the situation. With bright, colorful illustrations and a positive message, children with gay or lesbian parents could easily enjoy these books. Since there are still few books available for this market, simply by writing these books the author is helping reach out to children who are searching for a family like theirs portrayed in what they read. These books do not get into the more serious problems, such as teasing, that a child of gay or lesbian parents may face, but that&rsquo;s okay because that is not the author&rsquo;s aim. By focusing on everyday activities, loving parents, and playing with friends, these books are tailored for a young audience simply looking for a life like theirs. Though the publisher recommends these books for ages 4-8, they are better suited to ages five and under due to the picture book format and simple text.
I only had two problems with these books:
1. The parents are only shown from the waist down. I guess this was to give a child&rsquo;s-eye view, but any child focuses on his parents&rsquo; faces and it makes the story seem incomplete without being able to visualize the whole family.
2. Each book ends abruptly. Since these are not really stories, just a series of questions, there is nowhere for the books to go, and maybe that&rsquo;s why the author seems to just stop the books without real endings.
I would recommend these books for the non-traditional families they portray, not for their writing, which is simple rhymes and lacks creativity. These books could be shared with any child to help introduce lessons on different family structures and the idea of acceptance.

phnx51

More than 1 year ago

This book(A Tale of Two Mommies) is for a younger child than I anticipated so I am not sure how to rate it. I can say that it presents the idea of having two mommies in terms a child, even a fairly young child, could understand: who takes care of you when you're sick? Who plays ball with you? Who bakes cookies? etc. Of course my favorites are when the little boy says that they both do!. There's no propagandizing, just simple answers to a questions important to a child. Probably a very good book to help a young child understand that families come in all shapes and sizes but a family takes care of each other.

Rumor_Has_It

More than 1 year ago

Two reviews in One. A Tale of Two Daddies and A Tale of Two Mommies.
These two books were truly a fun read. The reality is that our world is constantly changing and with more and more same sex couples raising children of their own, it's important for all children to be taught that different is ok but that &ldquo;different&rdquo; is not that different at all. These books do just that.
In each of the books we have a little girl being raised by daddies and a little boy being raised by mommies. Each has curious friends who are asking which parent does what in their household.
I personally enjoyed reading A Tale of Two Daddies more than A Tale of Two Mommies. I found the rhyming and the flow to be executed a bit better with the daddies and the illustrations were great for both books. Overall, I think these books serve their purpose, although, I do think that it would be best for smaller children. I think older kids would pose tougher questions but for smaller kids, these books are the right fit.
Copies of each book were provided by Vanita Books via NetGalley.

the2ndmom

More than 1 year ago

Bought this book for my 3 year old. It is very well written but probably more at a 5 or 6 year old level. The art is great but my son seems disappointed that you never actually see the moms except for from the waste down. I know the book is supposed to be from the viewpoint of the little boy but it still would have been nice to see the family as a whole at least once during the book. All in all very nice & definatly worth buying. One of my top picks in the very limited world of lesbian mom childrens books.